FEMA Reinstates $1B BRIC Grant Program After Court Ruling

NC AG Press Releases

Filed March 24th, 2026

Detected March 25th, 2026

Summary

The North Carolina Attorney General's office announced that FEMA has conceded to a court ruling and will reinstate the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program. This decision will make approximately $1 billion in new grants available for water, sewer, and flood protection projects.

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What changed

FEMA has agreed to comply with a court order to reinstate the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program, following a legal challenge led by the North Carolina Attorney General. The agency will appropriate remaining BRIC funds to states and begin accepting funding applications totaling up to $1 billion for the upcoming year. This action resolves a dispute where FEMA had previously canceled the program, which had $200 million in pending disaster prevention projects across North Carolina.

Regulated entities, particularly government agencies and municipalities involved in infrastructure projects, should monitor FEMA announcements for specific application procedures and deadlines for the reinstated BRIC program. While the court ruled in favor of reinstating the program and FEMA has filed a plan, the Attorney General noted that funds have not yet arrived, indicating a need for continued oversight until disbursement. The reinstatement of this program is critical for communities preparing for future natural disasters.

What to do next

Monitor FEMA announcements for BRIC program application procedures and deadlines.
Prepare applications for water, sewer, and flood protection projects under the reinstated BRIC program.

Source document (simplified)

FEMA Concedes in BRIC Funding Case; Files Plan to Reinstate Water, Sewer, and Flood Protection Program, Make $1 Billion in New Grants Available

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, March 24, 2026
Contact: comms@ncdoj.gov
919-538-2809

Download the full video here.

RALEIGH – On Friday, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) conceded to the court that it will comply with the court’s ruling in favor of Attorney General Jackson to reinstate the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program. This comes after Attorney General Jackson won the case in December when the court ruled that FEMA broke the law by canceling the BRIC program, which had $200 million in pending disaster prevention projects across North Carolina.

After FEMA resisted that court order, Attorney General Jackson and a group of attorneys general went back to court to seek enforcement. The states prevailed, and the court ordered FEMA to submit a plan to restart the BRIC program, which it did Friday.

Attorney General Jeff Jackson released the following statement:

“FEMA has finally acknowledged what the court made clear: the agency lost this case, and it needs to pay North Carolina the money it owes. This is good news – but the money hasn’t arrived yet, so we’re not done. Our towns and cities are waiting for the dollars they were promised to get ready for the next storm, and we won’t stand down until those funds arrive.”

In its status report filed with the court, FEMA says it will appropriate the remaining BRIC dollars to states in the coming months. It will also begin taking funding applications totaling up to $1 billion for the next year of BRIC programs on Friday.

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